Page 6 of Melissa's Mates (Blissful Bets)

Darkness begun to close in around her, and still Melissa didn’t move. Without thought, she took a breath and emerged herself under the water. The weightless current carried her out further, and she let it. She wasn’t afraid of being taken out too far. She’d been a certified lifeguard and knew the conditions didn’t pose any threat.

Keeping her eyes tightly shut, she drew her body out straight and could feel herself float towards the surface. She felt so free, so light. This was how she wanted to be, always. No worries, just her, the ocean, and peace.

Pressure gripping her arm caused her to scream out. Flailing wildly, she choked on the salty water. Someone dragged her toward the shore, but with her hair matted across her face, she couldn’t see anything.

“Are you trying to kill yourself? What in the hell do you think you’re doing!”

Gagging and halfway submerged under the water, Melissa tried to catch her breath. Fire burned her eyes. Rubbing her arm, she stood and glared at the man. Immediately, she noticed his height and how the water rested just at his hip bones. He was completely nude.

“Answer me! What in the hell were you doing? Do you know how much you frightened me?”

Confused, anger sparked at his tone. “I was…what the hell does it matter what I was doing? What in the hell are you doing, scaring me like that?”

He remained quiet as he stared at her. She looked into his hazel eyes, barely catching their color in the darkness. The moon gave enough light for her to notice his features. Strong cheekbones rested above full lips. His jaw squared off at his chin. He didn’t look a day over his mid-twenties. Something tugged in her chest, and she stepped away from him.

“I should be going. Next time you decide to save someone, make sure they need to be rescued before you dive in.”

Melissa began walking back toward the beach, leaving the stranger in the moonlight of the water. The sound of his angry splashing made her turn in his direction as he distanced himself a good ten feet, parallel to her.

“If you wouldn’t have disappeared and stayed under the water so long then maybe I wouldn’t have needed to rescue you.” The words were spat in her direction, and her lips parted.

“No one told you to, so why did you waste your time? A person can’t swim at the beach anymore?”

He stomped in her direction, until mere inches separated them. Heat inflamed her body as his nude form grew closer. With as far as they made it, the water only reached to his knees, it was thigh level on her. Alarmed, she scanned the area, but it was still deserted.

“Listen, lady, I was trying to help you. I’m sorry if I scared you, but you scared me. What was I supposed to think? You come tearing down the beach, running at the speed of light. Then, after countless minutes, you’re like a zombie staring straight ahead, only to disappear under the water and not resurface. I panicked, okay? I wasn’t sure what was going on.”

Melissa could feel her breath quicken. The rise and fall of her breasts nearly closed their distance. Just thinking about their skin touching caused her body to react.

“I couldn’t think,” she whispered.

His features softened as he continued to look down at her. “Well, I can’t think right now.”

The hoarseness of his voice caressed places deep inside of her. Suddenly, she didn’t feel angry or afraid of this man anymore. He was so close. If she just lifted her hand, or took a step closer, she could unite their two bodies.

Watching his hand rise, the air left her completely. The moment his palm cupped her cheek, a growing hunger took over. Their eyes locked, and she could have sworn time literally stood still. Everything turned into slow motion as he stared. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t break their gaze. Hazel, that was all she could see, and oddly, she never wanted to leave their presence.

Kiss me, please! God, I think he’s going to do it. He’s getting closer!

“Melissa, is that you!”

Startled, she jumped, and her head spun towards the shore. The glow of white pajama’s stood there, motionless. Julie had her hands on her hips, watching them.

“Are we going out or not? I feel better.”

The sound traveled loudly over the calming water. Even the wind seemed to have died the moment Melissa’s universe had tilted. Fuzzily, her head wouldn’t focus with what had just occurred.

“I should go.”

She pulled back and took another look at him before she ran for the shore. The shakiness coursing through her body nearly made her legs collapse out from under her on repeated occasions. She turned back noticing he had moved into deeper water. Remembering the fact that he was nude, she was glad. For some strange reason, she didn’t want her friend to see him like that.

Taking in Julie’s messy appearance, she sighed. “Are you sure you’re up for going out tonight? You’ve only slept maybe an hour. You still have to be pretty drunk.”

“I’m good. Let’s go figure out what we’re going to wear. I feel like dancing.”

Melissa looked back to the silhouetted figure as they made their way back towards her house. The large sand dunes separating the beach soon made him disappear completely. An ache raced through her heart. She hadn’t even gotten his name. Would she ever see him again? As much as she wanted to, she knew most good-looking men in this town were tourists. She wasn’t sure if she ever would.

Chapter 4

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